Nest for poultry.



No. 694,759 Patented Mar. 4, i902. G. D. LATHRDP.

MEST Foa Pouunvf (Application filed July 16. 1901.)

(No Model.)

TME Nonals mens CoA, Pnooumo.. WASHINGTON. n. c,

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE CHARLES LATHROP, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

NEST FOR PouLTRY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,759, dates Maren 4,1902.

Application tiled July 16, 1901.

' of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inNests for Poultry, of whichthe following is a specification.

In the production of a laying and sitting nest my aim is to protect theeggs from incubation as they are delivered from the fowl, to

increase the production by increasing the capacity of the sitting fowlfor covering and properly incubating a greater number of eggs, and toprovide a housing wherein the laying and sitting appliances are madeinterchangeable and the housing used without either as a closure for thecare of the chicks.

' As a means of closing theV nest when the fowl is either laying orsitting provision is made for automatically shutting the outside doorsand opening the inside doors by the entrance of the fowl into the'closure.

In the drawings, Figure l is a horizontal section of a closure whichcontains the sitting-nest, the outside doors being open for the entranceof the fowl, and a fowl-actuated device in position to receive the fowlwhereby to eect by her. weight the closing of the outsideY doors and bytheir movement open the inside doors, as in Fig. 2, the fowl therebytrapped and having free access to the inside yard or room only. Fig. 2shows a like section, the outside doors having been closed by theentrance of the fowl and the inside or yard doors open. Fig. 3 is avertical section on the line do of Fig. 2, showing the sittingnest inplace and the inside-yard doors open, the links l2 being unhooked fromthe doors 2. Fig. 4 is a like vertical section on the line bvb of Fig.1, the outside doors open, the laying-nest being substituted for thesittingnest, and the trap plate or device 10 in position to forma perchfor the fowl to close the doors when the fowl enters for laying, thevlaying-nest being inclined and its lowest side extending outside'of theclosure to forma pocket 9, into which the egg rolls as soon as it islaid. Fig. 5 shows the laying-nest in perspective with itscircumferential egg receiving and protecting trapping-chamber 9.

As a nest-closure a box l is provided of suitable form and size, withdouble doors 2 Serial No.. 68,471. (No model.)

and 3 hinged at opposite sides thereof, and the box is used so that onepairof its doors 2, which I call the outside doors, will open into theyard where the fowls are kept. The other pair of doors 3 will open intoa house or yard where the nestbox is situated, so that the fowls canleave the nest at will whether laying or sitting, and thus give themneeded freedom of the closure into which the nest opens. The twoopposite sides of the closure are covered with wire screens d for lightand ven tilation, especially when both sets of doors are closed, as atnight, or when the fowl is sitting or brooding over her chicks and it isimportant to protect her and them from rats and the usual destructivepests.

As a sitting-nest I provide a circular receptacle 5, with a fiat bottomand verticalv sides, terminating in inward turned or overhanging rim 6,so that the opening at the top is entirely closed `by the sitting hen toeX- clude air from the eggs, to husband the warmth of the hen, and to.prevent the chicks when hatched from getting out fromunder the mother.

to form a trapping-chamber 9 for the egg at I the moment it is laid anddeliver it free of the hen outside of the nest-box. For this purpose thenestis inclined downward toward the outer doors, where it extends ashort distance outside of the box under the doors,which part of thetrapping-chamber forms a sort of pocket 9 to catch and to hold the eggsaway from and free from dangery of being broken and eaten by the hen andwhere they are eX- posed to the open air. This is an important featureof my improvement, inasmuch as it'- the egg is held under the hen andheated thereby it prevents the egg from being kept as long as it couldbe if allowed to escape at This is one of the features of myimprovement, and in the preparation of once from under the hen. In thisconnection it is seen, referring to Fig. 4, that the hen naturallysitting with her head toward the upper or raised end of the nest, whichis toward the open doors where the lightl is brightest, will deliver theegg at the lowest end of the nest, where it will drop and roll into thepocket 9 under the doors 2, which will be then closed. In Fig. 5 thepocket 9 of this tubular bordered laying-nestis seen as an oblated partof the'circular trapping-chamber, and into this pocket the eggs roll bythe incline of the bottom.

The provision of a flat-bottomed nest with a tubular circumference formsan open top which surrounds the hen when laying and from which the eggscan be removed from outside of the box, the tubular circumferenceforming, in fact, a closure which the hen practically fills.

In using the box-nests interchangeably for setting and for laying thedoors are required to be opened and closed in a certain way. This isespecially important when the box is used with a laying-nest as in Fig.4. The nest being properly placed and the doors 2 2 being open for herentrance therein, it becomes necessary to close these doors at which sheentered, as in Fig. 2. For this purpose provision is made forautomatically effecting their closure by the weight of the hen on atilting trap device at the threshold of the doorway, as I will nowdescribe. Pivotally mounted across the doorway above the eggchamber is atilting plate 10, the position of which when the doors 2 are open isvertical, as in Figs. l and 4, and forms a sort of barrier to theegg-chamber- In this position the lower edge of the tilting plate formsits pivotmounting, and its upper free edge is connected at each end toeach of the doors by links 11, and the fowl in entering the doorway willperch upon the upper free edge of the plate, and bearing it down inwardpull with it the links l1, and thus close the doors and protecting herfrom outside interference, and thus her pedigree as a layer can beascertained. The closing of the outside doors in this way is utilized asthe means of opening the opposite pair of doors 3 to give freedom forthe hen to go out into the room into which the nest opens. This 'meansconsists of links 12, which connect the outside doors 2 and the insidedoors 3 in pairs, as in Figs. l and 2, so that the opening and theclosing of the outer pair of doors controls the opening and the closingof the other pair. When, however, it is desired to close both sets ofdoors, the links connecting them are disconnected from the outside setof doors, as in Fig. 3, thereby allowing the inside doors to be closedby hand for inclosing the sitting hen at night or at other times withher chicks. The box so closed can be carried and placed where desired.

Vhen the box is used with a sitting-nest,

as in Fig. 3, the pivoted perch-plate 10 is detached from itsdoor-connecting links 1l and hangs out of the way, as in Fig. 3. So alsothe doors connecting the links 12 are disconnected, so that the doorsare closed and opened by hand to confine and protect the hen and toallow her freedom during the day, as in Fig. 3.

Obviously by the removal of the nests and the disconnection of the doorsfrom their controlling-links the box can then be used solely as ashelter-house for the hen and her chicks.`

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be noted that between the lower ends of theentrance-doors 2 and the bottom ofthe closure there is an openingthrough which the trap part of the layingnest extends outside of theclosure, whereby to allow access outside of the closure to the trap ofthe nest while the doors are closed. In this figure, which shows thelaying-nest, the door 2 is shown as open and the tilting perch-plate 10standing up to form the entrance-perch for the chicken. That part of thenest at its lowest end, which I call the pocket 9, projects beyond thebottom of the box, and therefore beyond its vertical walls, so that whenthe doors 2 2 are closed this oblated pocket part will form a trapextension outside of the box and suciently uncovered to expose theeggs,which may roll down therein outside of the closed box, so that theycan be taken out. The facility for such removal is enhanced by theopening which the short doors forni when closed over the lowereggcollecting part. Looking at Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that theegg laid in any part of the flat inclined nest will roll down into theypocket part 9 outside of the closure, where it can be seen and takenout.

While in the laying-nest, Fig. 4, the opening under the doors whenclosed facilitates the removal of the eggs from the trap part of thepan, which projects outside of the closed doors. Yet, looking at Fig. 3,the doors 2 2 must be closed when the sitting-nest is used, and in thiscase the opening beneath the doors must be closed to exclude cold air.For this purpose the perch-plate lO is arranged so that when turned downit will close the opening, and thereby form a cover for that side of thenest which is next to the doorsl and wholly within the closure. Theperchplate, therefore, while serving as the means of automaticallyclosing and opening the two sets of doors in the way stated to preparethe nest which projects outside of the closure for the laying hen,serves also to prepare the nest for the sitting hen wholly within theclosure by its function as a drop-plate.

I claim- 1. In a poultry-nest and in combination with a suitable closureor housing having ingress and egress doors hinged at opposite sides ofthe nest, means for connecting the doors whereby the opening and closingof ingress-doors will close and open the egress- IIC doors, and meanswhereby the doors are thus opened and closed by the 'entrance of kthefowl into the closure. e

2. In a poultry-nest, the combination with a closure or housingtorreceive interchangeable laying or sitting nests, ingress and egressopeningsand doors therefor the ingress-doors of which are so hung as toprovide an egg-'re- Inoval opening beneath their lower ends and throughwhich a portion of the'laying-nestl extends, and a plate pivotallymounted and closing said opening to exclude the air from the closurewhen the sitting-nest is'in'use,

' substantially as described... A Y

3. In a poultry-nest, a closure or housing having ingress and egressopenings and doors therefor, ingress-doorsforming an opening beneaththeir lower ends, and -a removable l`laying-nesthaving a latbottorn, anoverhanging rim, one side formed to project as a covered trap throughsaid opening beneathV the doors, and means., whereby the iiat bottorn ofthe rimmedl nest is supported freely` `upon the bottom of the closure toincline the nest with Vits trap part external to the closure.

4. In a poultry-nest, a removable layingnest having a flat bottomsurrounded by an l overhanging curved rim, the bottom and the curved rimoblated at one side to form a covered trap, and legs on the under sideVVat the oppositefend of the nest whereby it is freely supported with .itsoblated side at its lowest' Y level.

5. In a poultry-nestA and in combination with a closure or housinghaving ingress and egress doors hinged at opposite sides of the nest,links connecting thedoors whereby the opening and the closing of theingress-doors will close and open the egress-doors respectively, and atilting plate or perch pivoted across the threshold ofthe entrancedoorsand links connecting the tilting'bar withsaid in'- to form a perch abovesaid opening when the doors are open and a drop-plate to close saidopening when the doors are closed and links connecting the said plateand ingress-doors whereby the said plate is controlled in its positionsas a perch or as a drop-plate according as the laying or the sittingnests may be used. e

7j vA poultry-nest consisting of a closure having suitable ingress andegress doors, the

ingress-doorsrhaving an opening betweentheir lower ends and `the door ofthe closure,

and a iiat layinginest freely seated upon the floor, inclining towardthe ingress-doors having an inward-'curved overhanging rim andterminating at its lowest end ina trap for the Y eggs external totheclosure.

In testimony whereof I ailixrmy signature in presence rof two Witnesses.

'GEORGE CHARLES Lnrnnor.

Witnesses: f

A VRLAND JOHNSON, GUY- H. JornvsoivA

